Andy Brandi

Andy Brandi
Sport(s) Women's tennis
Biographical details
Born c. 1952
Puerto Rico
Playing career
1972–1975 Trinity University
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1985–2001 University of Florida
Head coaching record
Overall 460–43 (.915)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
NCAA
(1992, 1996, 1998)
Southeastern Conference
(1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001)
Southeastern Conference Tournament
(1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000)
Awards
SEC Coach of the Year (1987, 1988, 1993, 1996, 1998)
USPTA National Coach of the Year (1988)
USPTR National Coach of the Year (1996, 1998)
ITA National Coach of the Year (1989, 1996)
University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame

Andres V. Brandi (born c. 1952) is a former American college and professional tennis coach. Brandi was formerly the head coach of the Florida Gators women's tennis team of the University of Florida. He is best known for coaching the Lady Gators tennis team to three National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national tournament championships in the 1990s.

Early life and education

Brandi was born in Puerto Rico.[1] He attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, where he played for the Trinity Tigers men's tennis team in NCAA Division I competition.[1] Brandi graduated from Trinity University with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1975.

In his early 20s, Brandi trained with the legendary Harry Hopman.

Coaching career

Brandi was a touring pro for several years after graduating from college, but quickly discovered his true calling was refining the technique and improving the play of other up-and-coming professional tennis players. Notably, he coached Kathy Rinaldi and Carling Bassett when they were rising talents.[2] Brandi was also the executive director of IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Brandi became the head coach of the Florida Gators women's tennis team at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida in August 1984.[3] From the 1985 season through 2001, he built the Lady Gators tennis program from a strong regional team into a national powerhouse, second only to the national rival Stanford Cardinal women's tennis team during his time the Gators' head coach. His teams won three NCAA national tournament championships (1992, 1996, 1998), and were the runners-up in five other NCAA tournaments (1988, 1990, 1995, 1997, 1999), having reached the NCAA finals eight of his seventeen seasons. Brandi's Lady Gators also won six National Indoor Tennis Championships and fourteen Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships, and never finished lower than second in the SEC regular season standings.

In one unique career moment, two of Brandi's Lady Gators, Shaun Stafford and Halle Cioffi, played against each other in the individual NCAA singles championship final in 1988.[4] Gators Lisa Raymond (1992, 1993) and Jill Craybas (1996) also won individual NCAA singles championships during Brandi's tenure. In NCAA doubles championship play, three Brandi-coached doubles teams won four NCAA doubles championships: Jillian Alexander and Nicole Arendt in 1991; Dawn Buth and Stephanie Nickitas in 1996 and 1997; and Whitney Laiho and Jessica Lehnhoff in 2001.

At the time of his resignation from the Gators coaching staff, he had the highest winning percentage (.915) of any coach in NCAA tennis history, and had the fifth highest number of career victories (460) among all NCAA tennis coaches, active and retired.[5] He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as an "honorary letter winner" in 2006.[6][7]

After leaving the University of Florida, Brandi has worked for IMG Academy,[8] the Chris Everett Tennis Academy, and the Harold Solomon Tennis Institute. Currently, he is a member of the player development staff and a national coach at the United States Tennis Association.

Tennis family

Brandi and his wife Nancy have one son, Chris, who played for coach Andy Jackson's Florida Gators men's tennis team from 2003 to 2006;[9] Chris Brandi was an assistant coach for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's tennis team.[10] Brandi's niece, Kristina Brandi, is a former touring pro who was ranked as high as twenty-seventh in the world.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Paul Jenkins, "Gators hire new women's tennis coach," The Gainesville Sun, pp. 1D & 4D (August 22, 1984). Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  2. ↑ Derek Catron, "Gators' Players Find Brandi's Dandy," Orlando Sentinel (April 20, 1988). Retrieved June 17, 2011.
  3. ↑ GatorZone.com, Women's Tennis History, 2001 Roster, Andy Brandi Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Stafford wins NCAA title over Cioffi," The Gainesville Sun (May 20, 1988). Retrieved June 16, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Women's Tennis Coach Andy Brandi Resigns," GatorZone.com (May 29, 2001). Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  6. ↑ F Club, Hall of Fame, Honorary Letter Winners. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  7. ↑ Robbie Andreu, "Wuerffel, Doering to enter UF Hall," Ocala Star-Banner (April 21, 2006). Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  8. ↑ Joe Schad, "UF Tennis Coach Leaves To Join IMG," Orlando Sentinel (May 30, 2001). Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  9. ↑ GatorZone.com, Men's Tennis History, 2005 Roster, Chris Brandi Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.. Retrieved June 18, 2011.
  10. ↑ WakeForestSports.com, Men's Tennis, Roster, Chris Brandi. Retrieved June 18, 2011.

External links

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